Sunday, March 6, 2011

Hello all! Well this is my official blog of my European adventure. I wanted to start this blog with how this decision came about. It began with the Lockheed Martin's decision to close the facility in Eagan, MN where I am currently employed. It was also decided that my last day would be March 15th unless I decided to extend, which was considered. However this choice would be made simple by the fact that the owners of the house I was renting at would not renew our lease at the end of March. So it came to be that at the end of March I would not have a job or a place to live. So I began looking for a job here in Minnesota as well as California, Colorado, and Texas. During my search I came across an article about taking sabbaticals and traveling the world. This immediately sparked my interest. I had always wanted to go to Europe and so with some time off and a decent severance package I realized that this was possible. With the encouragement of friends and family I decided to make it happen. I thought when else was I going to get this opportunity. It was just a chance I couldn't pass up.

I won't be going alone. My friend TJ Markowicz, who I met through work, was also convinced to travel with me. So since the decision has been made we got together and did some research and planning. So we've already booked our flights to and from London for an April 12th departure and a June 1st return. We've ordered our Eurail passes that will allow us to travel by train though out Europe. Lastly we've reserved our first London hostel in Piccadilly Circus for 3 nights. Our proposed route is London, Brussels, Amsterdam, Munich, Prague, Rome, Barcelona, Paris, and back to London. If time permits we'd like to get to Ireland. However, that's just a rough plan. We'll see where it goes from London.

So sit back, read up, and enjoy. You can expect we'll have plenty more to share.